The big story

The Clippers did not have as splashy an offseason as their Staples Center co-tenants, but other than the Los Angeles Lakers, few teams did more to address their issues this summer.

After pulling off the trade for Chris Paul last winter, the Clippers were forced to quickly slap together the rest of the rotation, and the result was an unbalanced roster with some questionable pieces forced into significant roles. When Chauncey Billups went out with a torn Achilles’ tendon in February, the team’s fragile depth got even thinner.

That has changed, big time. Even with general manager Neil Olshey abruptly departing for Portland, the Clippers trio of general manager Gary Sacks, coach Vinny Del Negro and team president Andy Roeser was able to approach free agency aggressively and came away with some good prizes.

That’s a far cry from last year’s bench, which saw too much of low-level guys like Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans and Bobby Simmons.

No question, some of the new guys are in their twilights—Odom crashed and burned both mentally and physically in Dallas last season, Hill is 39 years old and showing some signs of it, and Crawford’s dip in shooting (38.4 percent, 30.8 percent on 3s) might portend a steady decline.

There is also the question of how Billups will play when he returns, which might not happen until January. But the Clippers added so many players that even if some of their pickups don’t pan out, they’ll be able to mask their deficiencies.

Keep an eye on …

Griffin has established himself as one of the best power forwards in the game already, averaging 21.7 points and 11.5 rebounds in his two NBA seasons. His athleticism and dunking ability are unquestioned—he has a slam-dunk championship and a handful of commercial deals to show for it.

In Year 3, though, Griffin will be expected to elevate his game. With his experience level, his deficiencies aren’t surprising. Griffin needs to become a better shooter, needs to learn a better array of post moves and needs to be much sounder on the defensive end.

Perhaps because he has already reached superstar level, many seem to expect Griffin to have those aspects of his game already ironed out. But he is only 23, and it takes time for a post player to learn the ins and outs of the position.

Still, Griffin worked hard this summer to improve his shot, and the Clippers hired shooting coach Bob Thate in an effort to get Griffin’s form right. He was just 52.1 percent from the free-throw line, and for a player who gets as many touches as he does, that can’t happen again. He also needs to make midrange shots more consistently.

Griffin said the changes he has made are subtle—mostly just tightening up his elbows and release—and they’re a work in progress. But if he can become a better shooter, he will be another step closer to being an elite player.

Strategy session

The Clippers did about as well as could be expected last year, nosing out the Grizzlies in a tough first-round series before being outclassed by the Spurs in the conference semis. Despite that, there has long been an assumption that Del Negro is not the right coach for this job—he was brought in to teach a young team, but that dynamic changed when the team made the Paul trade.

Now, with even more veterans on board, and with Del Negro in the final year of his contract, there is a sense that the Clippers could undergo an in-season coaching change if there are some early struggles.

That’s not quite fair to Del Negro. He is often criticized for his bland offense, which is heavy on pick-and-rolls, and not very big on the open floor.

Take a closer look at the numbers, though, and it is clear that Del Negro is taking the right approach with this team. According to Synergy Sports, the Clippers were not a good fast-break team at all last year, ranking 27th in the league in transition efficiency. At the same time, they are an excellent half-court team—they ranked fourth in pick-and-roll efficiency, and though they play at a slow pace, their overall offensive efficiency was fourth in the NBA.

Del Negro might not be the most inspiring guy, and the Clippers are rumored to have had some locker-room dissent last year. But in terms of strategy, he has been pretty good for this bunch.

Outside view (from a West scout): “Obviously the depth is really good. I would be a little skeptical, though, because they have a lot of unknown commodities. Billups has the injury, you don’t know how he will be when he comes back. What happened to Odom last year in Dallas? Is he going to be the same player he was two years ago? What does Grant Hill have left? Crawford isn’t getting younger. I mean, there is a lot there to like, but a lot that worried you, too.”

Inside view (from guard Chauncey Billups): “This is going to be the deepest team I ever played for, as far as being deep all the way out. It’s the deepest team I played ever played for. But as you know, talent doesn’t always—that’s not it. You have got to put it together, you have got to take time, roles have to be defined and more importantly than that, guys have to accept those roles. I think we have a great locker room, great guys, great experience. We have a good group. Now, it has to take its course. Hopefully it goes the way we think it can.”

Our view: The Clippers are dangerous. Del Negro said in training camp that, every night they take the floor, they will have a chance to win. He is right—this team has the depth to hang with anyone, including the Lakers and Thunder, in the Western Conference.

Still, they are a notch below championship-caliber, and when things shake out in the West, they will surely rank in a group with the Spurs and Nuggets behind the Lakers and Thunder. That means it is unlikely that, even with their much-improved depth and even if guys like Griffin and Jordan get better, the Clippers will get much farther than they did last year, when they reached the conference semis. It will, though, be a very fun team to watch.

Rotation

It’s a very deep roster, and Del Negro will have a lot to work with. They will have to figure out what the rotation will look like until Billups returns, but he will be back in the starting five eventually.